There's something on your hand

"Therefore, the best option is to cancel the contract."

"We have so much to offer than just a small designer like me and if we put your situation in Paris into account, I believe involving ourselves further will harm LABELS." Briana finished her entire presentation.

Smart, she had got the entire group of the shareholder's on her side by putting a variable into her equation that she shouldn't have.

It would have played out perfectly, except there was something she didn't know.

And that would be Adriana purposely spreading the rumors that the fire burned down one of her factories. Sure, she did it to excuse herself and leave for Paris, but there was a bigger picture here. Adriana wouldn't set her things on fire for such a simple reason. She had another motive for doing this.

Noah raised an eyebrow at her offers, and then he glanced at Adriana, whose expression remained calm.

"There's neither a loss nor a win in this situation. LABELS and Justine continue the collaboration, but we stay away from each other's outside matters."

"Yes, Ms.Brooklyn is correct. We have her in charge of the Milton Project, we can't just let her go."

"I agree." Noah suddenly interrupted the shareholder's discussion. "But if you knew about how important Milton project is, then why did you sing it in the first place?" He asked her.

Adriana sat back in her chair, still not having said a word the entire time.

It was way too entertaining!

"The situation changed when Justine's factory was lit up on fire and it had such a huge impact on the public."

"Wait, the whole factory? It was just one shipment."

"Well, it seems Justine forgot to mention something to all of you." Briana glanced at Adriana, keeping her calm expression.

She faced Noah with a different attitude.

Adriana's conclusion: Briana's gentle character, which she used to face Noah every day, had disappeared overnight. The way he hurt her yesterday had forced her to take a unique approach.

"Alright, that's fine. Canceling the contract, I understand the circumstances you have brought up, but would you like to explain to us all how someone else's burnt down factory affects us. The collaboration with Justine is about the designs."

"Talent working with greater talent."

'True.' Adriana agreed silently and took a sip of her water.

It tasted so good suddenly.

"That's where my next point comes," Briana responded. Her expression changed a bit, and she seemed to glare at Noah.

"Yesterday, during our meeting, we reached a new agreement on how the fashion line will be announced and shown to the public. I took the freedom to set up a presentation of the general idea. Though, it is not too detailed because we didn't have the chance to finish our discussion-"

Briana smiled at Adriana and said, "I think Justine would agree, that we LABELS can accept her as the organisator of the event and we can provide her all the resources she will need not only to raise praise for both our brands but also compensate for the time we wasted in this contract we signed."

"I'm listening, continue." Adriana finally spoke, showing everyone how Briana's offer piked up his interest.

'I guess this isn't too bad.' Adriana thought she was getting what she was aiming for either way. Though, the reason for Briana's sudden passiveness kept bothering her.

She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her arm. Her complexion paled, and her lips trembled. She swallowed and hid away her hands under the table.

Taking a sip of the water, she took a deep breath in and tried to look as calm and composed as she could.

Her body suddenly felt weak, and she had the extreme urge to sleep.

She tried to concentrate on what Briana was explaining, but it was difficult.

A few seconds later she finally got her complexion back, and she listened to Briana's every word carefully.

Noah frowned when he noticed the changes in her expression, he subconsciously let out a breath of relief when she looked okay.

"It sounds like a plan, Ms.Brooklyn. You're truly bright, though it's a pity you can't train under me. We could have accomplished so many things together." Adriana tossed out her wild card carelessly. And it was just that, which made everyone's expression change.

She was not wrong at all, Adriana had never taken in disciples but she had worked with young designers and so far all of them and their companies were at the top. As soon as she brought up a designer, their company would receive great profits and also her support.

Imagine, what being her straight up disciple could do to a person?

"But since you're very confident about how important Milton Project is for LABELS, I wish you luck."

It was like stabbing everyone with reality. They had lost her as a supporter, a future help, and a brilliant partner.

Briana had lost opportunities that she could never imagine receiving from LABELS since she's only a head designer and it would take years for her career to bloom.

They knew her for her skilled team but not for her own designs. If she truly wanted more out of designing she needed to be recognized for her talent and not for how well she mages a designing team.

"Hmm, it was wonderful working with you, Justine. I hope we meet again in the future and work together." Briana replied with fake politeness.

Adriana didn't respond. It was almost like telling her that would never happen again.

"Because of the incident with the fire, it would be difficult for me to support LABELS in this collaboration with nothing more than my designs and my amazing subordinates. That is true, but I can still offer something else."

"Please, go ahead." Mr.Harmon said, interested in her offer.

The other share-holders nodded, and she didn't start until he received Noah's agreement.

"As I mentioned, it's very unfortunate that I can't have Ms.Brooklyn by my side, but your other designers are very talented. LABELS providing me with resources to help my idea become a reality is equivalent to helping themselves."

Briana nodded in agreement since she had obviously considered this, but she and the other shareholders had talked about it before Adriana arrived. She had them convinced that Justine was suffering because of the factory incident.

"I was thinking I can take a few selected designers of Ms.Brooklyn's department to Paris and continue working there."

"I would pay for their stay, food, flight, their every need, and their pay. All I need is permission to take them with me."

"Justine, my team is the most important here at LABELS we can't just decide to hand it to you on a whim." Briana's expression changed into an upset one.

"They would still work for LABELS, but more focused, gain more experience, and I will give a pressure-free environment," Adriana answered.

"I think you have all heard of the excellent working environment I give to my employees, yours will be treated no different and I will compensate if my decision does not bring benefit to LABELS." Adriana then opened the file on her table and she stood up.

With a charming smile, she walked up to Noah and placed it in front of him. "Please look it over."

Leaning over to give him a smile, she attempted to walk back to her seat, but she felt him tangle her leg with his.

He lifted his head and nodded this head. "Of course, I read over please explain your proposal with the rest of them."

'Bastard.' She cursed him, how dare he look so calm?

It confused everyone when she didn't want back to her seat and remained in her same spot.

"Pardon me, it's just a cramp." She forced a smile on her face and sighed in relief when he finally let her go. Not forgetting to stomp his feet, she walked back to her chair.

Noah grunted, and he looked down at the file in front of him, trying to forget the sharp pain in his foot.

After discussing her proposal and the advantages it would bring for both parties, and getting everyone's (including Noah) acceptance, Adriana had Noah sign the document she had given him.

When he had signed it, she signed it too, and the meeting ended.

The shareholders stayed for a bit longer to praise her great idea.

"Please don't, I wouldn't have come up with it if Ms.Brooklyn hadn't effectively shared her guidance and knowledge with her team. It was a pleasure working with everyone."

Soon enough it was only Mr.Brooklyn, Briana, Noah, and Adrian in the meeting room.

Mr.Brooklyn left with his daughter and Adrian picked up her things to leave.

She expected Noah to say something, but he didn't. He just stared down at the document they had both signed.

"Your signature improved, it used to suck. No wonder I never recognized it before." He commented when she was about to walk out of the door.

She rolled her eyes since he had always made fun of it. He said it improved, but he never admitted the beautiful strokes she did with the pen.

She was very proud of it actually…

"Wait a sec, can you do me a favor?"

"I don't do favors for free." He responded, his expression was indifferent.

She couldn't tell if he was upset because he found out her plan to go back to Paris or because of how hard she had stepped on his foot.

If it was the ladder, she would not apologize since he started it.

"I was kind enough to not make a fuss and be considerate to your best friend, so it would be a great relief for me if you did me such a simple favor."

He sighed and stood up, picking up the file and pacing it away.

(Adriana had already taken her copy)

"What do you need?" He asked.

She grinned in response and explained.

"You feel bad for her?" Noah raised an eyebrow, not believing a single word.

"You do realize how contradicting it sounds to what you said just a minute ago, right?" He didn't hesitate to expose.

Adriana continued smiling, not fazed. "I will be forever indebted to you. Please, just this once beside you were really harsh."

He frowned and gave in. Walking out of the meeting room, he rushed to run after Briana.

Adriana didn't feel bad one bit. She hid behind a wall and pretended to get some biscuits from the food area, as she listened to their conversation.

When she saw the variety, she couldn't help it and walked inside the room.

"What do you want?" Briana asked, slapping his hand on her shoulder.

"I want to apologize for my harshness yesterday."

'Not, really.' He thought to himself.

"There is no need for that." She turned around to leave.

"I lied. You're are very talented and I only said that in a fit of anger. If you don't want to accept my apology, that's fine. I just wanted to tell you I hope you can understand where I'm coming from. I hope that you can mature and use Milton project to show me you are a responsible person. Lately, I did not see that in you."

Well, it wasn't a complete lie at least.

Briana pursed her and turned around. She wiped her fake tears away and nodded her head, knowing people were already surrounding them.

"I accept your apology and you're right. I will show you my true capabilities with Milton Project."

Noah smiled stiffly when she leaned over for a hug.

The cookie in Adriana's hand was crushed under her palm and she forced a smile on her face. 'I swear to god-'

She glared at them through the open blinds of the room.

Noah clenched his jaw and patted her shoulder instead.

"Please understand that your mistake still doesn't allow me to accept our friendship as it was before." He then walked back to where Adriana was waiting for him.

Seeing his appropriate response, Adriana smiled.

That soon changed into a frown, and she pinched herself.

Great, Briana could now convince herself that her plan at acting angry at Noah had worked!

"I'm such a horrible person," Adriana mumbled when she saw Noah walking back.

This favor she asked for was selfishness. It was unnecessary for her to manipulate the situation, but she had done it so that the uncomfortable feeling in her chest could disappear. And seeing Briana back into her delusional obsession got rid of it perfectly.

Did she feel bad? Nope! Did she regret it? Nope! Was using Noah to achieve her own selfish goal okay? Yes! Did she feel guilty because of it? Nope!

Noah is not a person she can manipulate because he's too smart, but he is a person she could use.

If it weren't seven years after her tragic experience she wouldn't have the guts to use or manipulate anyone.

But people changed, and so did she.

She had fully accepted her new self, she was a selfish, manipulative, controlling being. And yes, it wasn't something to be proud of, but it was something she tried to control. She made sure that those flaws wouldn't allow her to go too far.

Her conscience would stop her immediately after the thought of doing something past the line. It was because she had changed, but not completely. She couldn't get rid of her kindness or compassion, or any of the other qualities she had before.

It was a pity that she hated them and would prefer to hide them away.

"Where is your driver?" Noah asked and entered the small 'food' room they had on this floor, locking the door behind him and then closing the blinds.

She raised her eyebrows and stopped herself from thinking of her past personality.

"I gave him a day off." She replied, slightly spooked because of how he had put her on lockdown.

But at least the room was filled with food!

'Always have your priorities straight.' She thought to herself, knowing how hungry she was because she had missed breakfast, thanks to Marie's scare.

"I'll take you home then."

"That is such stalker behavior. Trying to get my address, huh? Yikes, for an engaged man you're quite bold." She joked, dipping the cookie in her coffee.

Adriana's cookie fell inside her coffee with a small splashing sound and they both looked down at it.

"..."

"..."

.***.

7 years ago,

'Are you stalking me now?' Adriana locked the door of the cafe and turned to Noah who was leaning against a pole.

'I'm not stalking you, I'm pursuing you. There's a difference.' He responded.

She gave him a hard stare and then shrugged her shoulders.

With a frown, she turned back around when she realized he was still following me. 'Not a stalker?'

'You promised a date to remember?'

'When did I do that?'

'Yesterday you said I could take you anywhere after work.'

'I did?'

Noah nodded his head in response.

'No, I meant it as in hanging out not a date.'

'Did you? I don't think so.'

She licked her lips and looked at her home screen, locking her phone she looked back at him.

'Fine, where to?'

Noah grinned and he walked up to her and said, 'I think there is something on your hand.'

'Huh?' She pulled out her hand in confusion.

He then placed his over hers, "Oh, it looks like it was only my hand. Never mind." He then started walking hand in hand with her.

"You're really something-" She sighed, not even bothering to argue with it.

She was already getting used to his antics.

Adriana nervously licked her lips again and looked away feeling her face burn red.

He only gave her a smug smile and guided her towards their date.

.***.

"What?" He asked in surprise.

"Huh?" Adriana furrowed her eyebrows.

They both looked away, realizing they may or may not have remembered the same thing.

"I'm not engaged." He declared, clearing his throat.

Adriana nodded, and she bit her tongue.

'Focus Adriana. And we are focusing...focusing!' She scolded herself.

Today's objectives:

1. Take Briana's team to Paris ✓

2. Let everyone know they missed great opportunities when Briana canceled their contract ✓

3. Remind Noah that there are rumors about his 'engagement' ✓

4. Go back to Paris and ground her children for their naughtiness

5. Have a long nap to celebrate her success

6. Focus

"But you are-"

"Engaged? Since when am I-"

"Haha, that sucks. I'm heading home now, have a nice day." Adriana walked past him only to be dragged back.

"Explain yourself."

"Rumors, Noah, rumors. It isn't hard to find out how close you and Ms.Brooklyn are, okay?"

Noah furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm not engaged."

"It must be uncomfortable getting engaged with someone you consider almost your sister. Tut, my condolences."

"I'm not engaged." He repeated.

Adriana placed down her cup of coffee and cleared her throat. "I have somewhere to be." She excused herself.

Noah groaned in frustration.

The mood swings he's been having this entire morning just because of her!

Since he knew she had to take care of the factory incident, he let her go.

When she left, he walked out and took the elevator to his office, not realizing the rumors that were spreading around the building.

He had locked them both inside and then one after the other they exited the same room. It was hard for people not to talk.

'There's something on your hand. Never mind it was just mine.' He repeated in his mind.

'Is that all you had back then?!' He exhaled deeply and sat down on his chair.

Noah requested Chris to investigate the matter, intending to help her, but hours later, he found out something that stabbed his heart.

"What should we do?"

"Send my men to clear her path, make sure they allow zero reporters inside the airport," Noah ordered.

"Yes, sir." Chris nodded with a serious expression on his face.

Yes, he had dug up the truth about the fire and Noah had heard the news of her flight to Paris.

If he wanted to, he could still make it and go after her, but he didn't feel the need to. Just like she didn't need to tell him the day she would go to Paris was today.

It was hard for Noah to care for a person who would become a stranger to him every day. Only for a slight moment would she allow herself to relax around him and used humor to do it.

The rest of the time she was distant, making him feel that he was looking at a completely distinct person.

They had the same voice and face, but not the same attitude and behavior.

It's not like he wouldn't see her again. A month or two from now they would have to give a speech together about their collaboration and the new clothing line. They would meet that day…

But maybe some part of him still wished that day could come sooner.

____

(Over 3k words, longest chapter I've ever posted lol)